It is hard to believe that the fall semester is nearly over!  If you are looking for a valuable study plan, we recommend you consider the Four Day Study Plan from About.com.  The plan, which we have slightly tweaked from the original article, follows: 

Studying for an Exam Day 1: 
Communicate with Your Instructor, Find a Study Partner and Organize

1.     Type of Exam - Ask your instructor what type of exam s/he will be giving. Multiple choice? Essay? That will make a difference in how you study.

2.     Request a Study Guide-If there is not one in your Bb site, ask your instructor for a review sheet/study guide. Your textbook website may also have practice tests. 

3.     Find a Study Partner -- set up dates to meet to include the night before the test if possible – even via phone/Facebook/Skype.

4.     Organize - Print and organize your notes, old quizzes, textbook, assignments and handouts from the units being tested.  

As You Study: 

·       Organize handouts, past tests, and other information according to dates. Make note of anything you are missing. (Where's the vocab quiz from chapter 2?) Pay special attention to the questions that you missed and spend extra time studying those questions. 

·       Rewrite or type your notes.  Creating an outline of the information you need to know will help you understand how the material covered in the class is related.  

·       Review the material you have. Go through the review sheet to determine what material will be covered. Read through your quizzes/handouts/notes and study questions from your book's chapters.  Also, refer to the end of each chapter in your text – many have excellent summaries/reviews.  

Studying for Your Exam - Day 2:
Course Review, Review and Apply the Material to Better Comprehend

1.     Communicate with your instructor: If necessary, clarify areas you didn't understand and request any missing items (for example: vocab quiz from chapter 2).

2.     Couse Review – Continue to review notes and materials. Ask your instructor if there will be a review before the test and continue to review on your own and review with your Study Partner (if time permits). If there will not be a course review, consider organizing one - you can reserve a study room and meet in a campus library or local library. 

As You Study:

·       Create flashcards with a question/term/vocab word on the front of the card, and the answer on the back. Quizlet is a free website/app that will help you design flashcards, practice tests and quizzes. The website/app also has pre-made flash cards (a favorite app by many students).

·       Set a timer for 45 minutes, and review everything on the review sheet that you don't already know using mnemonic devices like acronyms or singing a song. Also, apply the material to your life in ways that you can remember and understand.  When the timer goes off, take a 15 min. break and revisit your review sheet.  Study again for a specified time, setting the timer if it works well for you.

·       If you are not using the Quizlet App, put your flashcards in your purse, backpack, or car so that you can review them when you are not busy.   

Studying for Your Exam Day 3:
Review and Apply the Material, Create Practice Tests

1.     When you have any free time, review your flashcards and ask yourself questions (when you're waiting for class to start, at lunch, when waiting for an appointment, etc.) As you review, think of ways to apply the material to help you recall.

2.     Create Practice Tests to study (see below).

3.     Confirm a study date, with your study partner, for tomorrow night.

As You Study:

·       Set a timer for 45 minutes again. Go back through your flashcards and review sheet, learning/applying material (especially reviewing areas that are causing you some struggles). Take a 5-minute break. If necessary, set a timer for 45 minutes again and continue if you're still unsure of any material!

·       Create a few “practice tests” for yourself and your study partner (you can create your own, use study guides or visit your textbook website for practice tests, and you can also use Quizlet.com which was referenced earlier).  A practice test should include questions about key terminology, facts, and concepts that are likely to be on the test.

·       Be sure to have your flashcards  or Quizlet App/website ready for review again tomorrow.  

Studying for Your Exam Day 4:

Review, Study/Self, Confirm Meeting Time with Study Partner

1.     Throughout the day, pull your flashcards out and review.

2.     Confirm your study date with a friend or classmate.   

 As You Study:

·       Again, review your flashcards paying special attention to the remaining material that was giving you some struggles.

·       Quiz. With your study partner, take turns asking possible exam questions to each other. You will learn the material better by alternating asking the questions. Stop once you've been through the questions a few times and get a good night's sleep.  

For additional study resources, consider visiting About.com and How To Study.org.  For free online tutoring available to ELI students, visit Smarthinking.   

If you are using a campus testing center, if possible, do not wait until the last day to take your test – emergencies can come up and in many classes, you will not be able to take the test late. 

If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to contact the ELI Success Coaches at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076. 

Promote Your Success at ELI’s Webinar: How to Prepare for Finals

Have you starting thinking about finals?  With the end of the semester right around the corner, it’s never too early to start planning for your exams!

Join ELI Student Life for our webinar, "How to Prepare for Finals”.

This 30 min live session will focus on topics and strategies to help ease anxiety and help you study smart such as: early preparation, planning your approach and taking the exam.

Sign up now and promote your success! 

Session Dates:  Tuesday, December 3, 2013: 1-1:30pm or Thursday, December 5, 7-7:30pm

Please click here to register for a session. 

Promoting Your Success: ELI Testing Tips

To promote a successful testing experience, the ELI Success Coaches encourage you to follow the tips outlined below:

Be Prepared – Begin reviewing/studying well in advance. If you need assistance locating helpful study resources, contact your Success Coach at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076. For a sampling of helpful study resources, please click here.

  Campus Testing Centers

• Do not wait until the last minute to take your exam(s). If you are able, we advise that you take your exam early. Not only will you avoid long lines, you many also avoid a last minute unforeseen emergency that could prohibit you from getting to a testing center. An exam must begin no later than 90 minutes before the posted testing center closing time. Regardless of the day, be sure to allow plenty of time.
• Do not forget to bring your completed Exam Pass for each exam and a photo ID. You may print your exam pass from the “Taking Exams and Using Exam Passes” portion of the Syllabus button in your Blackboard course site.
• Be prepared to stow your personal items, not permitted during your exam, including your cell phone (that must be turned off), in the manner required by the testing center (generally in a locker). Simply placing your phone on “silent” is not enough. You are not permitted access to anything other than your exam while testing, unless expressly stated in the exam instructions.
• If your exam is not working properly in Bb (ex. unable to type in a textbox, audio files not working, images missing) or if you feel your exam did not submit properly, please notify testing center staff immediately so they may help you troubleshoot the problem. The testing center staff is well versed in the “tricks” of Blackboard
• If you are taking multiple exams, you will be required to go through the line for each exam that you are taking.

ProctorU

Some courses offer online testing through ProctorU. Courses offering this option will be listed in Blackboard under the links, “Taking Exams and Using Exam Passes”, “Syllabus” or“Announcements”.

• If you choose to use this online proctoring service, schedule to take your exam(s) through ProctorU at least 72 hours prior to testing to avoid a late fee.
• If it is your first time using ProctorU, sign in 15 minutes early to set up your computer.
• Be sure to have your photo ID ready.

In addition to being rested and well-prepared, be sure to have a healthy meal or snack before taking your exam(s). The better prepared you are, the more relaxed you will be and the better your testing outcome.

As an ELI (NOVA) student, you are expected to follow the code of conduct for all NOVA students outlined in the NOVA Student Handbook

Good luck on your exams!

It is hard to believe that the fall semester is nearly over!  Depending on the sections that you are enrolled in, ELI classes will be ending December 10^th and December 17^th.   If you are looking for a valuable study plan, we recommend you consider the Four Day Study Plan from About.com.  The plan, which we have slightly tweaked from the original article, follows: 

Studying for an Exam Day 1: 
Communicate with Your Instructor, Find a Study Partner and Organize

1.     Type of Exam - Ask your instructor what type of exam s/he will be giving. Multiple choice? Essay? That will make a difference in how you study.

2.     Request a Study Guide-If there is not one in your Bb site, ask your instructor for a review sheet/study guide. Your textbook website may also have practice tests. 

3.     Find a Study Partner -- set up dates to meet to include the night before the test if possible – even via phone/Facebook/Skype.

4.     Organize - Print and organize your notes, old quizzes, textbook, assignments and handouts from the units being tested.  

As You Study: 

·       Organize handouts, past tests, and other information according to dates. Make note of anything you are missing. (Where's the vocab quiz from chapter 2?) Pay special attention to the questions that you missed and spend extra time studying those questions. 

·       Rewrite or type your notes.  Creating an outline of the information you need to know will help you understand how the material covered in the class is related.  

·       Review the material you have. Go through the review sheet to determine what material will be covered. Read through your quizzes/handouts/notes and study questions from your book's chapters.  Also, refer to the end of each chapter in your text – many have excellent summaries/reviews.  

Studying for Your Exam - Day 2:
Course Review, Review and Apply the Material to Better Comprehend

1.     Communicate with your instructor: If necessary, clarify areas you didn't understand and request any missing items (for example: vocab quiz from chapter 2).

2.     Couse Review – Continue to review notes and materials. Ask your instructor if there will be a review before the test and continue to review on your own and review with your Study Partner (if time permits). If there will not be a course review, consider organizing one - you can reserve a study room and meet in a campus library or local library. 

As You Study:

·       Create flashcards with a question/term/vocab word on the front of the card, and the answer on the back. Quizlet is a free website/app that will help you design flashcards, practice tests and quizzes. The website/app also has pre-made flash cards (a favorite app by many students).

·       Set a timer for 45 minutes, and review everything on the review sheet that you don't already know using mnemonic devices like acronyms or singing a song. Also, apply the material to your life in ways that you can remember and understand.  When the timer goes off, take a 15 min. break and revisit your review sheet.  Study again for a specified time, setting the timer if it works well for you.

·       If you are not using the Quizlet App, put your flashcards in your purse, backpack, or car so that you can review them when you are not busy.   

Studying for Your Exam Day 3:
Review and Apply the Material, Create Practice Tests

1.     When you have any free time, review your flashcards and ask yourself questions (when you're waiting for class to start, at lunch, when waiting for an appointment, etc.) As you review, think of ways to apply the material to help you recall.

2.     Create Practice Tests to study (see below).

3.     Confirm a study date, with your study partner, for tomorrow night.

As You Study:

·       Set a timer for 45 minutes again. Go back through your flashcards and review sheet, learning/applying material (especially reviewing areas that are causing you some struggles). Take a 5-minute break. If necessary, set a timer for 45 minutes again and continue if you're still unsure of any material!

·       Create a few “practice tests” for yourself and your study partner (you can create your own, use study guides or visit your textbook website for practice tests, and you can also use Quizlet.com which was referenced earlier).  A practice test should include questions about key terminology, facts, and concepts that are likely to be on the test.

·       Be sure to have your flashcards  or Quizlet App/website ready for review again tomorrow.  

Studying for Your Exam Day 4:

Review, Study/Self, Confirm Meeting Time with Study Partner

1.     Throughout the day, pull your flashcards out and review.

2.     Confirm your study date with a friend or classmate.   

 As You Study:

·       Again, review your flashcards paying special attention to the remaining material that was giving you some struggles.

·       Quiz. With your study partner, take turns asking possible exam questions to each other. You will learn the material better by alternating asking the questions. Stop once you've been through the questions a few times and get a good night's sleep.  

For additional study resources, consider visiting About.com and How To Study.org.  For free online tutoring available to ELI students, visit Smarthinking.   

If you are using a campus testing center, if possible, do not wait until the last day to take your test – emergencies can come up and in many classes, you will not be able to take the test late. 

If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to contact the ELI Success Coaches at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076. 

Promote Your Success at ELI’s Webinar: How To Prepare for Finals

Have you starting thinking about finals?  With the end of the semester right around the corner, it’s never too early to start planning for your exams!

Join ELI Student Life for our webinar, "How to Prepare for Finals”.

This 30 min live session will focus on topics and strategies to help ease anxiety and help you study smart such as: early preparation, planning your approach and taking the exam.

Sign up now and promote your success! 

Session Dates:  Tuesday, December 3, 2013: 1-1:30pm or Thursday, December 5, 7-7:30pm

Please click here to register for a session. 

Free Tutoring to Promote Your Academic Success

 

To help you succeed in your online courses, ELI offers free online tutoring through Smarthinking. Subjects offered include math, accounting, biology, anatomy & physiology, chemistry, statistics, physics, and more!   

The tutoring service also offers additional resources such as an opportunity to submit a question without having to wait for a tutoring session.  They also offer academic resources such as an accounting glossary, Writers and ESL Writers Handbook, and links to sites that provide support for mathematics.  Best of all when you are using the one-on-one tutoring services, many subjects have tutors available 24/7!  

If that is not enough, Smarthinking also offers an Online Writing Lab which provides students with the ability to receive a detailed, personalized critique of any written assignment through a formal critique process.  

To learn more or to request tutoring services through Smarthinking, please visit our website.  It is recommended that you sign up early.  The tutoring is well-received so please allow plenty of time to set up an appointment. Beginning in the spring 2014 semester, please access Smarthinking through your course Blackboard.

For questions or other academic resources, please contact your ELI Student Success Coach today at, elisuccess@nvcc.edu, or by calling 703.764.0120.

Free Tutoring to Promote Your Success in Your ELI Courses

To help with your study plan, ELI offers free online tutoring through Smarthinking, to help you succeed in your online courses. Subjects offered include math, accounting, biology, anatomy & physiology, chemistry, statistics, physics, and more!   

The tutoring service also offers additional resources such as an opportunity to submit a question without having to wait for a tutoring session.  They also offer academic resources such as an accounting glossary, Writers and ESL Writers Handbook, links to sites that provide support for mathematics and links to sites that provide support for mathematics.  Best of all when you are using the one-on-one tutoring servcies, many subjects have tutors available 24/7!  

If that is not enough, Smarthinking also offers an Online Writing Lab which provides students with the ability to receive a detailed, personalized critique of any written assignment through a formal critique process.  

To learn more or to request tutoring services through Smarthinking, please visit our website.  It is recommended that you sign up early.  The tutoring is well-received so please allow plenty of time to set up an appointment. Beginning in the spring 2014 semester, please access Smarthinking through your course Blackboard.

For questions or other academic resources, please contact your ELI Student Success Coach today at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or by calling 703.764.0120.

Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library staff

Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest http://quest.eb.com/images/132_1306928

Bringing It All Together

Over the past several weeks, your ELI Library staff has given you some key information you’ll need when doing research for your classes. If you’ve missed any of the topics, scroll down through the older blog posts to find them. Topics have included Scholarly vs. Popular Resources, Peer Review, Using Google and Wikipedia, Searching Library Databases, Evaluating Websites, and Citations.

Remember, your access point to all NOVA Library resources is the library homepage at www.nvcc.edu/library/.  You can search for books, e-Books, audio, videos, and articles. You’ll find research guides for many subjects as well as guides to help you cite your work. 

Check out the ELI Webinars schedule at http://eli.nvcc.edu/webinars.htm . Throughout the semester, ELI Library staff offer library orientation webinars as well as citation webinars. 

You can find videos on many of the topics this blog covered on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/NOVALibraries.

And we want to hear from you! Are there any topics that we haven’t covered that you’re curious about? Would you like something demonstrated in a video? We love suggestions or any questions that you may have about research or library resources. Email us at ELI-Library@nvcc.edu.

Finally, a few quick tips on organizing your research:

·         Keep a research log. Write down your sources, and keep track of what information you found in them and on what page.

·         Do your citations FIRST, not last. Who wants to track down that article again because you forgot to write down the volume number or date?

·         Remember that research is NOT a linear process. After some initial research, you’ll probably need to refine your topic (narrow it, broaden it, or change it all together) based on what you find. As you’re writing, you’ll probably need to go back and fill in gaps of information as well.

·         You’re not alone. We can help you wherever you are in the research process. Just email us at the address above.

Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library staff

Evaluating Websites

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about using Google for your research. Of course, NOVA Libraries has access to thousands of newspaper, magazine, and journal articles through the library databases. But that doesn’t mean that there’s not good and useful information out on the web as well.  You just need to be critical.

So how can you decide if a website has good information that would be appropriate to use in your assignments? You’ve heard of the 5 W’s, right? Well, they can also be applied to evaluating information, on the web and elsewhere. 

WHO – Who wrote or published the information? Is it someone you have heard of? Is it an organization that you are familiar with?  

WHAT – What are the author’s credentials? Are they clear about their experience in the subject and how they relates to the topic they are writing on?  

WHEN – When was the information published? Is it the type of information that changes over time (Think: Medical Information)? Or is it the type of information that stays the same (Think: History)?  

WHERE – Where did the author get their information? Are they properly citing their sources? Are they clear on where their facts, statistics, graphs, etc. are coming from?  

WHY – Why are they publishing this information? What is the author’s motivation? Are they showing a bias?

For more tips, take a look at the NOVA Libraries’, 5 W’s to Determine Good Information! And as always, if you’re not sure about a website, ask us! ELI-Library@nvcc.edu

StudentLingo: A Student-Friendly Success Resource

If you are searching for easy access to academic success tips dealing with time management, reading/writing strategies, discovering your learning style, mastering the job interview and other topics that relate to being a successful student, search no further!

Student Lingo is a website available to NOVA students that offers free online workshops on a variety of success topics. The workshops are facilitated by collegiate professionals in a PowerPoint type of presentation format. Student Lingo will help you discover new information that will promote your success! 

Due to the format, the workshops are interesting, fun and engaging.  The speakers’ motivating and down-to-earth presentation-style goes a long way in speaking to the concerns of college students as they consider issues like setting goals to honing their resume writing and interviewing skills to finding time to juggle academic, career and let’s face it – everyday living demands.

With that said, if you are reeling over how to get over that procrastination barrier, pay your bills on time, write a better paper and ace that interview, consider exploring this resource to get you on the fast track to building your success arsenal! Simply visit the following link and type in your name and institution in the fields provided: www.studentlingo.com/nvcc.

For additional academic success tips, please contact your ELI Success Coach today at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or 703.764.5076.

Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library staff

Post 2) Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

 

Your professor only wants you to use "scholarly journals" for your research paper.  What does that mean?

If this is the first time you're hearing the term "scholarly journal," that's okay.  Most of us don't sit around reading journals for fun.  But now that you're starting your academic career, you'll begin to see how important these journals are.  It's through scholarly journals that experts in a field share new research and new ideas. So while you may read a great story about ground breaking research in a newspaper or magazine, chances are that those researchers published their original results in an academic, or scholarly, journal.  That's what makes these journals so important to your research.  You can go right to the source without anyone else's opinions getting in the way. 

This is not to say that newspapers and magazines, or so-called "popular sources," cannot be helpful to your research.  Newspapers can give you precise details about a particular event as well as how people reacted to that event around the time that it occurred.  Magazines can offer interesting and varying viewpoints on a single topic. But be careful how you use these sources. And you’ll want to steer clear of them all together if that’s what your professor has instructed.

So how can you tell the difference between a “popular” source and a “scholarly” source? Take a look at the NOVA Libraries guide How to Find and Identify Peer Reviewed Journals (http://nova.libguides.com/peer-reviewed).

Wait…What is “peer review?” That will be the topic of next week’s post.  Happy reading!



Research Skills: A Blog Series from your ELI Library staff

Post 2) Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

 

Your professor only wants you to use "scholarly journals" for your research paper.  What does that mean?

If this is the first time you're hearing the term "scholarly journal," that's okay.  Most of us don't sit around reading journals for fun.  But now that you're starting your academic career, you'll begin to see how important these journals are.  It's through scholarly journals that experts in a field share new research and new ideas. So while you may read a great story about ground breaking research in a newspaper or magazine, chances are that those researchers published their original results in an academic, or scholarly, journal.  That's what makes these journals so important to your research.  You can go right to the source without anyone else's opinions getting in the way. 

This is not to say that newspapers and magazines, or so-called "popular sources," cannot be helpful to your research.  Newspapers can give you precise details about a particular event as well as how people reacted to that event around the time that it occurred.  Magazines can offer interesting and varying viewpoints on a single topic. But be careful how you use these sources. And you’ll want to steer clear of them all together if that’s what your professor has instructed.

So how can you tell the difference between a “popular” source and a “scholarly” source? Take a look at the NOVA Libraries guide How to Find and Identify Peer Reviewed Journals (http://nova.libguides.com/peer-reviewed).

Wait…What is “peer review?” That will be the topic of next week’s post.  Happy reading!



Promoting Your Success: Treasure Chest of ELI Resources

If you are searching for resources to help you achieve your academic goals, look no more!  As an ELI Student, you have access to a ‘treasure chest’ of free resources to help promote your academic and career goals!  Some of our popular resources include:

ELI Student Success Coaches:  Your ELI Success Coach can help you with any questions or concerns you may have as an ELI student.  They can also provide referrals to academic resources as well as assistance with Blackboard navigation and help with time management concerns.  If you are experiencing any challenges with study skills, complex assignments, communicating with your instructor or have any other concerns, promote your academic success by contacting your ELI Success Coach at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076

Smarthinking: Online tutoring offered 24/7 exclusively to ELI students. Log in and set up an appointment today for your one-on-one online tutoring session. You can even receive feedback on your papers through their online writing lab. The online writing lab provides students with the ability to receive a detailed, personalized critique of any written assignment. Be sure to take advantage of this service throughout your academic journey at ELI. If you prefer one-on-one tutoring, ELI students are also eligible to take advantage of free tutoring on our campuses.

Student Lingo: Short online/on-demand workshops, available 24/7, on time management, test taking/test anxiety, study skills, job interviews, stress management, and more – just click and learn!  These online workshops are an excellent resource to promote your college study skills.

ELI Webinars: If you need help with time management, getting started in an ELI online course or experience math anxiety, sign up for an ELI Webinar today.

ELI Counselors: Need help with Academic Advising, Academic Counseling and Career Counseling.  Contact our counselors at, Elicounselors@nvcc.edu or 703.323.2425.

Library Assistance: Need help locating a book or research article?  Contact the ELI Librarian today. She is here to help with your questions!

Quizlet: This study aid is sure to help you get that A on your exam.  Students love it!  Create your own flashcards and practice tests or use study aids already created on the website or via their app. Click here to visit the Quizlet website.

ELife Blogs:  The ELife Blog provides timely information on ELI and College policies, resources and upcoming events.  It also contains excellent study and success tips, stress buster recommendations, helpful academic resources, and more. Become a regular reader today!

The Success Coaches invite you to contact them anytime.  They are here to help you experience a successful academic journey.